


A Tale Among Us

by Maple



Category: Highlander: The Series
Genre: Gen, Quote Challenge Reponse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-03-20
Updated: 2011-03-20
Packaged: 2017-10-17 04:10:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/172751
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maple/pseuds/Maple
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fitz recounts a story of his and Mac's adventuring days.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Tale Among Us

**Author's Note:**

> Response to a Quote Challenge: "You defied that mad innkeeper and fought off his brood of murderers with a single sword! It made for a welcome tale of bravery among us." Speaks The Nightbird by Robert McCammon
> 
> Warnings for some very light violence.

"...and then MacLeod brandished his sword and the blood-thirsty thieves fell before us like river weeds!" Fitz waved his arms in the air wildly.

"Really?" Richie asked, completely in awe. "Then what happened?"

Tessa shot Duncan a quick smile before turning back to listen to the rest. "Yes, then what happened?"

Fitz grinned, enjoying his audience. He winked over to his best friend of over a hundred years. "The murdering brood fled into the night, leaving only the one shaking innkeeper. He was rattling in his boots such that it sounded like the fire bell was ringing."

Duncan, sitting behind Fitz's audience, rolled his eyes and tried to mask his grimace.

"Duncan was in such a rage - he was such a _terror_ \--that he hardly realized that the hoard of vicious thugs had fled and that only the cunning mastermind was left." Fitz lowered his voice, letting them in on the side note. "The innkeeper had been pilfering from his guests for years. But mind you--only the wealthy ones, like we were. Who would ever blame the innkeeper if greedy vagabonds came upon a few guests?"

"But in the actual inn?" Tessa questioned, her eyebrows arching up disbelievingly. "Who would stay there if they knew it was likely to be unsafe?"

"My dear lady." Fitz came forward to grasp one of her hands with his. "The innkeeper had gone mad with greed at long last. He had terrible debts and the sheriff was threatening to capture him and his unsavory cohorts. Their plan was to rob us blind, kill us, and escape many miles away where no one had ever heard of them."

"Yeah, but then what _happened_?" Richie demanded.

Fitz dropped Tessa's hand and began flourishing the air with his arms again, slicing and cutting with an invisible sword. "Macleod wove a veritable hurricane around the innkeeper, shredding his clothes all about him! The poor man was so overcome, he couldn't speak, he just fell to his knees and covered his head--begging for mercy most likely - but he was bawling so hard that nary a word could be understood!"

"Fitz," Duncan warned.

Fitz winked at him. "So Macleod and I gathered up our things and descended to the main are of the inn. Of course we were greeted as the heroes that we were. The lovely ladies of the area were most appreciative." He smiled reflectively, remembering, then jogged himself back to the future once more. "The sheriff and his men arrived only a few minutes later--having been alerted by the commotion - and we were once again hailed as heroes!"

"Fitz," Duncan warned again.

"Ah--" Fitz caught the stony eye of his longtime friend. "It's growing late. Perhaps we should head for the restaurant now?"

Tessa jumped up to retrieve her jacket. "I'm starved. All this talk of adventure leaves me famished!" She grinned at Duncan, before heading out the door.

Richie followed her momentarily. "Oh, man," he said as he exited. "Mac never tells us the good stuff."

Duncan glared at Fitz. "Well?" he asked.

"It's quite a tale of bravery," Fitz tried.

"It would be if it were true," Duncan pointed out, frowning and huffing.

"So I forgot to mention one or two little details," Fitz said as he started for the door. "They did try to rob us. And you did frighten them off. Do I always have to mention the wasps' nest they stepped on and stirred up as they snuck into the room?" Fitz quickly stepped out into the night, calling "Wait up, Richie! Did I tell you about the time--"

Duncan huffed for another moment, rubbed the area on his backside where a dozen wasps had taken their revenge a long time ago, and followed his own brood out into the night.


End file.
